Women and Vision
For women who are in career exploration or job search, vision can play a BIG part in defining and articulating what and which career you want. Defining your vision helps you direct your job search efforts to careers and jobs where you will be the most happy and successful. Vision is a quality that can make or break who gets a job.
Vision is viewed as the most critical leadership quality because without proper vision a business, a career, and a job search will fail to grow or to move forward.
Breaking the study down even further, the main reason that women were perceived to be lacking in this area was due to the fact that they are, by nature, more detail oriented. Adept at multitasking, management, and critical thinking, women tend to become so involved in fine tuning the specifics that they are at risk of missing long term goals.
Assuming that the results of this study are true, what can be done to overcome this potential leadership pitfall?
Becoming More Visionary
The great news is Great leaders are grown, not born. If you find it difficult to think like a visionary, here are some concrete steps that will help you to develop this skill.
Take the time to write down your career vision. Use the following questions as your guide:
- What is your passion for this career?
- Why do you think you would be “excellent” in this career?
- What unique skills do you have to apply to this career?
- Where would you like to see yourself in this career in five years?
- What legacy or valuable impact do you desire to leave in this career?
Once you have contemplated these questions and developed a solid vision for your career, you are ready:
- Write down some SMART goals that will ensure your success in articulating your vision and getting just the job you want.
- Communicate your career vision. Inspire recruiters, HR people or anyone who may be reading your cover letter and resume by incorporating your vision.
- Always surround yourself with strong, "peak performance" people. There is nothing that will help you more than networking with purpose. By surrounding yourself with excellence, you will always have new motivation and value to keep your career search going.
Is it really that easy to develop that critical leadership quality called vision? Yes! All it takes on your part is a deliberate step back from all of the multi-tasking and the day-to-day issues. If you allow yourself to stand back and look at the overall picture, you will gain a much needed and refreshing perspective that will drive you toward greater career search success.
Vision for Success
Vision naturally breeds passion. When you have a purpose, a dream for your career, you become excited, passionate, and begin to transfer this passion to your goals, your job search, and even your home life.
Make the all important decision today to develop the three C’s of a visionary:
Contemplate (realize your purpose),
Compose (write it down)
Communicate (make it clear to everyone around you).
Watch out business world! Career Women of vision are here and a force to be reckoned with!
